Cook the Book: Pasta Baked with Radicchio, Gorgonzola, and Pancetta

Today's recipe from On Top of Spaghetti is a baked-pasta dish that's ridiculously good. And ridiculously rich, too--so eat slowly, savor each magnificent bite, and, if it helps, eat less.

Pasta Baked with Radicchio, Gorgonzola, and Pancetta

Cook the Book: Pasta Baked with Radicchio, Gorgonzola, and Pancetta

About This Recipe

Yield:

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 cups finely shredded radicchio or Belgian endive

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

1/2 cup freshly grated Fontina cheese

1/4 cup finely crumbled Gorgonzola

1/2 teaspoon or more kosher or sea salt

1 pound dried pasta shells or rotini

1/4 cup finely chopped pancetta

Procedures

1

Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil

2

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream, stock, radicchio, all the cheeses, and salt. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Set the sauce mixture aside.

3

Generously salt the boiling water and drop in the pasta. Cook, stirring often, for 4 to 5 minutes. The pasta will be parboiled and too hard to eat; it cooks further in the oven. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup water. Transfer the macaroni to the mixing bowl and combine thoroughly with the sauce mixture. If the sauce seems too thick, add some of the reserved water, a tablespoon at a time, until the pasta moves freely and is surrounded by liquid.

4

Transfer to individual shallow baking dishes or to 1 or 2 large shallow baking dishes. Evenly distribute the pancetta over the surface and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pasta is bubbly hot, with bits of browned pancetta and pasta poking out on top. Serve right away.